Who act as a catcher at any time—including games, practices, and warming up a pitcher at any time—wear catcher’s gear, including helmet, mask with throat guard, long chest protector, shin guards, and protective cup.

Protective cups are recommended for all male players at all league events

Manage Fields

Prior to practices or games, inspect the field you will be using. If you see problems, take the actions recommended on the Field Maintenance page.

If the field is so wet that using it will risk injury to players or damage to the field, move to grassy sections (if they are playable) or cancel the practice or game.

Environmental Factors

Stop play if:

It gets too dark

You see lightning or hear thunder. (A good rule of thumb is: “When you hear it, clear it. When you see it, flee it.”)

​If you can see lightning at all, clear the field immediately.

Do not return to the field until you have not seen any lightning for 30 minutes.

Use smart phone apps to help you determine how far off lightning strikes may be (Dark Skies, LL App)

Remember that umpires have the final word on stopping or resuming a game due to lightning. Because lower levels typically have no umpire, managers and coaches must be responsible for the safety of players.

Manage Traffic at Jefferson Village Park Field

Many parents park across the service road from the field at Jefferson Village Park. Unfortunately, this service road is next to Route 50, and cars often use it as an illegal high-speed detour around traffic—especially during rush hour, when many FCKLL practices and games occur.

A car once struck a player on this road, resulting in a non-fatal accident; we want to make sure no other accidents occur.

Before gamesor practices at Jefferson Park Village, instruct parents to park on Jefferson Avenue so they don’t have to cross the service road. Some parents may still try crossing the service road, so get to the field early and put out the orange traffic marker cones near the storage shed to alert cars to slow down.